SPLIT
by pyro1229
Summary: Piper feels helpless as she watches a psychotic killer murder her family one by one... (I've decided against writing an alternate ending... so, it's done)
1. First Murder

Disclaimer: Charmed is a property of the WB Note: I have nothing against Piper! I like her so much that I love to use her in my many different eccentric plots.  
  
SPLIT  
  
"It's all your fault, Piper... if only you had never been born... then all those who loved you would never have died. You've failed, again and again, and again... All you could ever do bring death and pain... despair and sorrow... you are useless..."  
  
"Leave me alone!" Piper cried miserably. "Go away... please..."  
  
"It doesn't matter now Piper... you're too late. You've already failed. Your mother, your grams, your dear old sister Prue... how much sooner before Phoebe, Paige, or Leo? You can never experience happiness Piper. Give it up... you're useless..."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on, it's not that hard... at least this will lessen the failure. Come one... it's the least you can do."  
  
"Leave me alone! Please! I'm begging you..." Piper sobbed, her trembling body crumpled to the kitchen floor, knocking a chair over, tears flooding out of her eyes.  
  
"Get up! Don't be such a failure! End the pain Piper... you can never feel happiness, for every time you do, disaster and chaos follow..."  
  
"No! Don't make me! Please!"  
  
-Phoebe's POV-  
  
Phoebe drove up the driveway and sighed happily. 'Thank god Elise was sick! I haven't felt this great in months!' She opened the front door and stepped into the kitchen, hoping to grab one of Piper's delicious chocolate chip cookies. The sight before her hit her hard, like a brick. The usually clean and tidy kitchen looked as if San Fran experienced another of its devastating earthquake. Broken dishes, overturned table, splintered chairs, shattered cupboards, scattered cutlery...  
  
"Piper?" Phoebe called out, afraid that a demon had been in here earlier. "Piper, where are you?"  
  
Phoebe stepped over the debris and saw Piper lying on the floor, unconscious.  
  
"Piper!" She cried, as she rushed over to her fallen sister. Phoebe gently lifted Piper's head onto her lap and cried for Leo. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp, jarring pain in her back. She looked down and saw the tip of a vicious looking blade of a kitchen knife working its way through her chest. Blood began trickling down the tip of the blade, first in little dribbles, then in gigantic floods, as she felt the knife leave her heart. Everything seemed fuzzy as she felt it become harder to breathe. Each breath became a struggle, a struggle in which she cannot win. Phoebe felt her energy drain away, similar to the way the blood drained away from her body.  
  
"Leo!" She tried yelling, but it came out a forced whisper as darkness soon enveloped her. She had no idea who killed her... 


	2. Second Murder

"Phoebe?" Piper asked uncertainly. "Phoebe, wake up! Leo!"  
  
The familiar blue lights appeared as Leo orbed in.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't come right away. One of my charges..." Leo stopped dead in his tracks as he saw an emotionally devastated Piper cradling Phoebe's dead body.  
  
"Oh my god..."  
  
"Leo, do something!" Piper cried, panicking, as he rushed over.  
  
"I'm sorry... I can't..." Leo said sadly as he felt no healing power channel through his hands.  
  
The world became a blur to Piper as she broke down, and the last thing she remembered was Leo orbing her up to her room and tucking her in bed.  
  
-Piper's Room-  
  
"You've failed Piper! What do I keep telling you? You failed to protect your sister... all those who loved you... how could you call yourself a sister? Phoebe is DEAD!"  
  
"No! It's all your fault! Leave me alone! Leave my sisters alone!"  
  
"It's too late now Piper..."  
  
-Paige's Room-  
  
Paige did not take the news well. She still cannot believe that her middle sister is dead. 'Phoebe's cheated death so many times. Why now?' Paige sobbed harder into the pillow she was holding.  
  
"Paige?"  
  
Paige looked up and saw a puffy-eyed Piper leaning on her doorframe.  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure honey," Paige replied, as Piper climbed into her bed and held onto her. Paige began absent-mindedly stroking Piper's hair as Piper broke down.  
  
"Don't worry Piper. Things will work out..." Paige whispered soothingly, trying hard to convince herself and Piper, but failing nonetheless.  
  
-Leo's POV-  
  
Leo orbed into Piper's room, only to find the bed empty. He walked over to Paige's room and peered in. Leo knew when to leave the sisters to themselves, so he silently made his way out.  
  
-The Source's Chambers0  
  
"Are you sure?" The new Source asked a trembling demon.  
  
"Positive. The middle Charmed One has been killed."  
  
"Who did it?"  
  
"We don't know."  
  
"Nevertheless, this is excellent news. But there are still two more witches left. You must not underestimate them, even now."  
  
"I understand, but..."  
  
"No buts. Now leave."  
  
"As you wish," the demon stuttered as the chilling evil gaze of the icy midnight blue eyes of the new source seem to burn a whole into his back.  
  
-Manor-  
  
"Leo, do you have any news from the elders about our current situation?" Paige asked.  
  
"No, they wouldn't give me anything. But I have a feeling they know something. They seemed extremely worried though..."  
  
"Well, of course they are! We are one Charmed One short, and Piper, in her emotional state, is pretty much vulnerable to any attack," Paige cried, frustrated.  
  
"I know... I'll try and talk with her again," Leo said softly.  
  
"You think? I've tried talking too, but she's not absorbing anything we say. She's even more devastated now than when Prue died. We must think defensively right now, for we are seriously screwed..." Paige said. "Fine, stay with her, I'm going to go out and grab some potion ingredients, and hopefully come up with a protection spell or something."  
  
-Piper's Room-  
  
Leo entered Piper's room gently, and the sight of Piper's defeated posture hurt him greatly. Her hands are restless, expressing the nervousness in her mind. She is no longer crying though, as all her tears of dried, and no more can come out. Leo took a deep breath and held onto Piper.  
  
"It's going to be okay Piper... we'll make it through together."  
  
Without warning, Leo felt a burning sensation, pain, and then... nothing. 


	3. Revelation

Note: I do not wish to offend anyone with my stories. I didn't mean to say that Prue's death had no real impact on Piper. It did, and the whole point of that sentence was to emphasize on how emotionally devastated Piper was. As for the rest of the story, I want to point out that this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE fic, so that I don't offend some those of you who are very strict with following the actual plot of the show. I am "releasing my soul", and I would like to do so, without upsetting anyone, so again, I apologize if I did offend anyone.  
  
"Piper?" Paige called out into the silent house. She cautiously made her way in, and heard the sound of Piper sobbing. Paige approached Piper and gently put her arms around her sister in despair. Her eyes unconsciously drifted to behind Piper, and she saw a scorch mark on the floor.  
  
"What the?" Paige wondered out loud. "Piper, did you just fight a demon?"  
  
"Someone... someone killed Leo! I don't know what is going on, but god..."  
  
"Piper, listen to me. Calm down and tell me who killed Leo."  
  
"I don't know! Leo was holding me, and then, someone blew him up! Paige, help... I'm scared!"  
  
"I scared too Piper, but we need to remain focused right now."  
  
"It's because of me! They're all dying in my arms! Stay away from me Paige! You'll get hurt if you're close to me!" Piper yelled irrationally and pushed Paige away.  
  
"Piper..."  
  
"No! Stay away from me. The killer's going to hurt you if you come too close!" Piper cried as she ran up to her room.  
  
Paige looked on sadly, and sighed.  
  
"I have to fix this..."  
  
-Piper's Room-  
  
"Just look at that Piper... how many times do I have to tell you, that all you ever bring is death, despair and pain! You're a failure Piper. A miserable failure! Everyone who came in contact with you dies! Everyone you loved..."  
  
"No! I didn't mean for it to happen!"  
  
"It's too late for that now... Phoebe and Leo are both dead... How soon before Paige dies as well?"  
  
"No! Leave her alone, you psychopath!" Piper cried, as her hands continued to tremble.  
  
"Or else you're do what? You're pathetic you know..."  
  
-The Source's Chambers-  
  
"Life just keeps getting better and better..." The new Source exclaimed. "Now, they are not only one with short, but they have no whitelighter as well!"  
  
"My Queen?" The demon asked tentatively.  
  
"What?" She snapped, clearly annoyed by the presence of the demon.  
  
He cowered slightly, and replied "My Queen, I believe that the best time to attack the remaining Charmed Ones is now, as they are extremely vulnerable at the current moment."  
  
"No! We will wait until the right moment, and that, is NOT now!" She snapped. "Now, get out!"  
  
"As you wish," he said, as he quickly scrambled out of the new Source's chambers. 'What were you thinking???' he berated himself, 'Bringing back Prudence Halliwell and allowing her to become the Source of all Evil???' 


	4. Hands

Note: Who do you think the killer is??? I've been hinting quite a bit... but just wait until the nest chapter...  
  
Paige heard the tap go off again. 'Maybe I should check on Piper...' Paige knocked on the bathroom door, and stepped in. She saw Piper furiously scrubbing her hands. Paige reached over the sink and pulled Piper's bleeding hands away from the running water and turned the tap off. The constant washing has caused Piper's delicate hands to be raw, bloody and red from the pealing skin.  
  
"Oh Piper... geez... what are you doing?" Paige asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm cleaning my hands! They're dirty. Contaminated. All they bring is death! Everything these hands die. I have to wash them!" Piper cried irrationally, as she turned on the tap and continued scrubbing.  
  
"No, Piper... Here, come on. Listen to me. This pair of hands has done more than enough! These same pair of hands can make the world's most delicious cookies. These same pair of hands can make the hurt go away when they're gentling rubbing someone's back. These same pair of hands saved more innocents than I could ever imagine... Piper... I can go on and on about the great things they've done, but the thing you need to do is believe in them. Believe in the good they've done."  
  
"Paige..."  
  
"Don't argue with me sis! Come, let me get a first aid kit for those beautiful hands," Paige said kindly, as she turned off the faucet and led Piper to the kitchen. Paige ushered Piper onto a couch, and went to fetch a first aid kit. 'I'll get you through this Piper...' Paige thought, while she sat down next to Piper and began cleaning, and dressing those hands as gently as possible. Paige felt a tear come to her eye, and then another. She fought hard to blink them away, but not before Piper caught a glimpse of them. 'I've been so selfish... not even noticing, or caring about the pain she's in. All the sorrow she's going through...' Piper thought guiltily.  
  
"Paige?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Here, let me hold you," Piper said soothingly.  
  
"Huh? I'm fine though Piper," Paige replied.  
  
"Don't argue with me," Piper said with a smile.  
  
"But I..." Paige began, but was cut off when Piper put her arms around her and began rubbing her back, in a comforting way that only Piper could. Paige resisted at first, but soon, the weeks of bottled emotions spilled out through Piper's comforting touch, and Paige's barrier broke. She broke down, and everything came out, as Piper continued to comfort her.  
  
-Living Room-  
  
"So... looks like Paige is pretty vulnerable right now... Imagine what could be done?"  
  
"Leave her alone, you psychopath!" Piper cried defiantly.  
  
"Or you'll what? Kill me??? HEHEHE... You don't have what it takes to stop me!"  
  
"No one hurts my sisters!"  
  
"Correction! I think you meant 'sister', as both your other sisters are dead. Looks like you did a wonderful job of protecting them Piper!"  
  
Piper seemed to have lost all the new confidence she gained and snapped. "Shut up! Just leave me alone!" She screeched.  
  
"Now, now... calm down Piper."  
  
"NO!" Piper yelled, as she lounged forwards, accidentally dropping Paige, and smashing the mirror in front of her to pieces. The twisted facial expression of the killer disappeared.  
  
That movement caused Paige to awaken. She noticed that Piper was in hysterics as she continued to smash the broken shards.  
  
"Piper! Stop! You're hurting yourself!"  
  
"I can't! The killer... the killer was here!" 


	5. Who is this killer anyways?

Note: So... have you guessed yet? Maybe this chapter would either: A, confirm your theories, or B, confuse you even more. If it's B, then hey, I'm glad, because the whole fun of the story is to confuse people...  
  
Paige let out a long, weary sigh and plopped down onto the couch. She was extremely exhausted by trying to wrestle Piper to bed so that she could rest. It took her a long time to try and calm Piper down, and eventually, Paige had to know Piper out. She let out another sigh, grabbed a pillow, and it wasn't long before Paige drifted off to sleep.  
  
-Piper's Room-  
  
"Well, well... look at what we have here? A sleeping Paige... you know what I'm going to do..."  
  
"No! Please, don't hurt Paige... please! Leave her alone!"  
  
"Sorry, can't be done. Now, how to kill her... any suggestions?"  
  
"Please... don't..."  
  
"Yeah, whatever. You're just as useless as I thought. Hm... Hey! I know... I think corroding potion sounds good, but before that, I've always been kind of curious of the affect of alkali in the eyes. I heard that alkali hurts the eyes more than acid... pretty cool huh?" (By the way, this is true. Basic substances are more harmful for the eyes than acidic substances)  
  
"No... please... don't hurt Paige!"  
  
"Oh come on Piper, don't be such a spoilsport!"  
  
-Living Room-  
  
'Something's not right...' Paige thought. She opened her eyes and saw someone aiming a container of some unknown substance at her eyes.  
  
"Hey!" She yelled, pushing the surprised attacker away, and orbing the container to her hands. Paige looked over the couch and saw a groaning Piper get up.  
  
"Who was that? Someone knocked me on my ass!"  
  
"The killer... I think it was the killer... did you see his or her face?"  
  
"No... did the killer hurt you?" Piper asked worriedly, after she got to her senses.  
  
"No, don't worry. I'm fine."  
  
"Okay, that's it... we have to stop this killer before anyone of us dies!" Piper exclaimed.  
  
"Definitely. I wonder what this is," Paige said, as she held up the container of alkali substance.  
  
"Let me see... seems like some sort of alkali solution."  
  
"How do you know?" Paige asked.  
  
"I don't, I just felt like saying that." Piper replied shortly.  
  
-Cole's Apartment-  
  
Cole took another bite out of his sandwich as he stared sadly at the photo of him and Phoebe. 'I'll kill whoever killed my precious Phoebe...' he thought. All of a sudden, a huge flame appearing in his apartment interrupted Cole's thought. Cole looked up on reflex, and the image of the person in front of him made him gasp. Simultaneously, an energy ball appeared in his hand, just as a fireball appeared in the attacker's hand. Icy midnight blue eyes clashed with brown ones.  
  
"What are you doing alive?"  
  
"Might want to ask yourself that question." The attacker said coolly, as the fireball launched at an incredible speed towards the stunned Cole. He tried moving out of the way, but he felt like he was held in place by an invisible force. Telekinesis.  
  
"NO!" He screamed as the burning blaze enveloped him and Cole was vanquished.  
  
The attacker smiled, and casually left. 'Now, all I have left standing in the way of my ultimate leadership and raising hell on earth are the remaining Charmed Ones...' 


	6. The end or is it?

Note: So... Is Paige going to die? Well one thing's for sure. Someone is going to die this chapter.  
  
Paige was paralyzed with fear in the situation. Her movements and thoughts were restricted, as the only thing running through her head is 'I'm going to die...' Her eyes closed, and she heard a surprised yell of pain behind her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Piper's outstretched hands. Paige turned around, and saw the fallen from of someone she never imagined to meet. Prudence Halliwell.  
  
"Paige, move back!" Piper yelled, tackling Paige to the floor, and barely dodging the fireball that was launched at the place where Paige had been standing.  
  
Prue pulled the anthame out of her left shoulder and casually examined it. "Why so hostile Piper? It's me, Prue!"  
  
"No. You're not Prue. Don't even bother to try and convince me. Prue was a good witch. You, you are the Source of all Evil."  
  
"Don't be so dramatic Piper. You really are over-reacting. I mean, I expected a hug or something when I arrived, not a sharp anthame in the shoulder!" Prue said calmly as she took a step forward.  
  
"Take one more step, and I blow you up!"  
  
"Come on Piper... I thought you've always wanted me back. We could start over again!"  
  
"No, Piper! Don't listen to her," Paige said desperately.  
  
"Don't worry Paige, I know what to do. Prue is dead. I hate the reality of it, but I've accepted it. This imposter is has nothing in common with the Prue I used to know. Even if it is Prue, the only thing they have in common is her body."  
  
"You don't mean that Piper..." Prue said.  
  
"Yes, I do. Prue's soul is good, and if you were the real Prue, which you are most definitely not, you would want me to free your soul. Rid it of evil."  
  
"Well then... I suppose it's too late for you!"  
  
"Guess again!" Piper cried, and blew Prue up. As the bits began to reform, Paige orbed the crystals into the pentagon formation, trapping Prue in the crystal cage.  
  
"Wow! You trapped me!" Prue retorted sarcastically. "It takes the power of three to vanquish me, and unfortunately, you don't seem to have that at the current moment..."  
  
"That's where you're wrong!" Paige exclaimed, and began a spell.  
  
"Hear my words, hear my cries, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."  
  
A beautiful white glow filled the room as Phoebe's spirit appeared.  
  
'I'm sorry Prue, I know that you would want me to do this. Rest in peace again, dear sister.' Piper thought, as they began the spell.  
  
"Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda, Astrid, Helena, Lorna and Grace. Halliwell witches stand strong beside us, Vanquish this evil, from time and space."  
  
The explosion knocked Piper and Paige back, as Piper sadly watched her older sister get eaten by the inferno. A tear, trickling out of her eye. "I'm sorry Prue." 


	7. Split

Note: I have put in those breaks stuff to prevent confusion. Sorry about that, for I realized that it's hard to understand because it keeps jumping around. Actually I did have little breaks, but my Microsoft word automatically makes *** into a straight line, and apparently that does not show up on text after I download it, so, I put in something like -Piper's Room- as a break. Now... the killer, is revealed. However, I may write an alternate ending, because I have two ideas, and I'm not sure which one I like better, so this is only ONE ending. By the way, this is the LONGEST story I have ever written. The other stories have nowhere as much content as this... Anyways, enjoy.  
  
Piper and Paige sat on the dock of the riverbank.  
  
"It's so peaceful here," Paige said.  
  
"You got that right. I haven't felt this good in weeks," Piper said enthusiastically.  
  
Paige was glad that Piper seemed more relaxed, but for some weird reason, Piper's hands remain restless. Paige had stopped Piper a few times from washing her hands over the past week, but she suspected that Piper still went on behind her back. Also, the lose of Prue again must have devastated Piper, but she's not showing the effects of grieving and it is worrying Paige. 'If she keeps it in for too long, she could snap beyond repair...'  
  
"I'm going to get something to drink," Paige said, while getting up and heading towards Piper's parked jeep.  
  
"Grab me something too," Piper called after Paige.  
  
-Piper's POV-  
  
"Piper... did you forget about me???"  
  
"No! Not you again... what do you want dammit!"  
  
"You know what I want..."  
  
"I won't let you."  
  
"Try and stop me..."  
  
Piper screamed in frustration and threw a rock on the image that reflected back to her on the surface of the water. The ripples gradually faded, and was once again, replaced by the sadistic image of the killer. Her eyes radiated insanity, but are also extremely calculating and calm. Her cold, hard face, with a cruel and twisted smile, gave her an almost evil look. However, what was probably most traumatizing, was the lack of motive in her soft brown eyes.  
  
"Piper, what's going on?" Paige called out.  
  
"Nothing..." Piper replied in a steely, unemotional voice.  
  
"You sure?" Paige asked, concerned, and headed towards Piper.  
  
Piper turned around suddenly. Her usual caring and gentle features were replaced by a cold expression, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly in a sadistic way.  
  
"Good-bye, Paige," the cold voice said, as Piper's hands raised to blow up Paige.  
  
Paige reacted upon pure instinct and orbed, just as Piper blew down a telephone pole behind Paige, causing the pole to hit the water with a tremendous splash. Paige reappeared behind Piper and tackled her onto the dock. The two struggled briefly, as they both neared the edge. However, Paige gained the upper hand as Piper's head hit the wooden poles that supported the dock. The blow momentarily stunned her, and since this paralysis was unexpected, Paige pushed a little too hard, causing Piper to fall into the water.  
  
The effect of the electricity running through the water was instantaneous, as Piper's body began to convulse wildly. Images rushed through Piper's head, and they all seem to slowly make sense.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Hey there, Prue," Piper said cheerfully as she laid a small bouquet of white flowers on the grave. She was on one of her monthly visits to Prue, and here, she would usually clear away the area while chatting with Prue about the events that occur lately.  
  
"You would not believe what Phoebe did! She..." Piper was cut off as the decomposed body of Prudence Halliwell suddenly resurfaced. She was nothing but a skeleton, with a few clumps of moss here and there, and some underground creatures crawling around. The gruesome sight caused Piper to be paralyzed with fear. Slowly, Prue's midnight blue eyes reformed. Normally, these blue eyes are something Piper would love to see again, but this time, they radiated nothing but evilness. These icy eyes stared straight at Piper momentarily, and then, the corpse disappeared. This haunting image traumatized Piper so much that it caused her psyche to split.  
  
-End of Flashback-  
  
Piper felt herself get light-headed as she started to sink and drown, the electrical impulses still running through her body. 'More images...'  
  
-Flashback-  
  
Piper quietly picked up a fallen knife while Phoebe was holding her. Phoebe's face was buried into Piper's shoulders, and Piper could feel the tears soak through the cloth. Then, with lightning quick speed, she stabbed the knife into Phoebe's heart, pulled it out, and let it rest on the ground quietly. Blood ran down from Phoebe and all over Piper. Some of it landing on the twisted, smug look on Piper's face.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
Leo, holding her... saying things... but none of it mattered. She raised her hands discreetly, and blew him up.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
Paige was lying on the couch. Resting... Piper went over with a container of alkali substance. She held the container over Paige's eye, and was about to spray it into Paige's eye, when Paige suddenly opened her eyes, startling Piper. She felt herself fall onto the floor, behind the couch...  
  
-Flashback-  
  
The dock... the two of them fighting... Paige pushing her into the water after the struggle after Piper had tried to blow her up...  
  
-End of Flashbacks-  
  
"Piper, hold on!" Paige cried out to her, while she approached her distressed sister.  
  
It was too late though, as Piper felt herself go weaker, and gradually, she felt herself give way into the way her mother had died.  
  
-Cemetery-  
  
Paige laid a white rose on the tombstone, and carefully traced the letters with her fingers. Piper Halliwell... Her sister... The day at the dock will forever be in her mind. If only I hadn't pushed her over... if only I had been quicker in rescuing her... if only I had notice this problem sooner... if only...' All those sentimental sister moments will be nothing but a memory. The day her sisters found her was still fresh on her mind. It looks like Paige was alone again...  
  
"See... you will forever be in loneliness and despair..."  
  
"No! Leave me alone..." 


End file.
